While tobacco consumption rates are decline in Western countries, developing nations continue to light up cigarettes despite the health effects. Tobacco rates are on the rise in countries including China and the continent of Africa.

According to a study published in the U.K. medical journal, The Lancet, more than two-thirds of Chinese men smoke, making China the largest consumers of cigarettes in the world. It’s estimated that about one million people have died in China from tobacco related deaths as of 2010. That number is estimated to double in the next 15 years and triple by 2050, if nothing changes.

The Heat: Tobacco rates increasing in the developing world pt1

The Heat: Tobacco rates increasing in the developing world pt1

While tobacco consumption rates are decline in Western countries, developing nations continue to light up cigarettes despite the health effects. Tobacco rates are on the rise in countries including China and the continent of Africa. According to a study published in the U.K. medical journal, The Lancet, more than two-thirds of Chinese men smoke, making China the largest consumers of cigarettes in the world. It’s estimated that about one million people have died in China from tobacco related deaths as of 2010. That number is estimated to double in the next 15 years and triple by 2050, if nothing changes. We talk to experts about this smoking epidemic: Zhengming Chen, principal researcher on the recent study showing high rates of smoking in China and professor at Oxford University. Stanford University anthropology professor Matthew Kohrman, who studies China’s tobacco use.

The Heat: Tobacco rates increasing in the developing world pt2

While tobacco consumption rates are decline in Western countries, developing nations continue to light up cigarettes despite the health effects. Tobacco rates are on the rise in countries including China and the continent of Africa. According to a study published in the U.K. medical journal, The Lancet, more than two-thirds of Chinese men smoke, making China the largest consumers of cigarettes in the world. It’s estimated that about one million people have died in China from tobacco related deaths as of 2010. That number is estimated to double in the next 15 years and triple by 2050, if nothing changes. We also talk to experts about the smoking situation in Africa, where smoking rates in many countries continue to rise. Of 26 countries worldwide where rates are going up, 16 are in sub-Saharan Africa. Matthew Myers, president for the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids. Yussuf Saloojee, executive director of South Africa’s National Council Against Smoking.